Mobile platforms, such as aircraft, generally employ heat exchangers having one of two design architectures. Plate-fin designs are often found in applications of low or moderate pressure, and tube bundle designs are often found in high-pressure applications. Both of these design architectures require headers that are heavy and take up extra space, and neither of these design architectures offer flexibility in shape. In addition to these technological challenges, the commonly used design architectures often have housings and transitional areas that do not contribute to heat transfer, add weight, and can be vulnerable to leakages, which is an efficiency challenge. Catalytic reactors, such as Catalytic converters, Catalytic Inert Gas generators, Steam Reformers, Autothermal Reformers and Combined Hydrocarbon/Ozone Converters (CHOC), share similar technological challenges.
Accordingly, architectural improvements that reduce weight, improve efficiency, and easily adapt a heat exchanger to a variety of shapes are desirable. It is further desirable to address these technological challenges at a fundamental building block level. It is desirable, therefore, to provide a cell structure (i) capable of handling heat transfer requirements, (ii) able to be easily combined into a variety of shapes, and (iii) from which a heat exchanger can be built that has reduced weight compared to design architectures with thick, heavy, high-pressure containment walls. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present embodiment will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention.